


Illuminated by You

by SterlingAg



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Entertainer Kei, M/M, bartender kuroo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 11:32:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5373764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SterlingAg/pseuds/SterlingAg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Vineyard's Best lives up to its name with top quality liquor and even higher quality entertainers. Bartender Kuroo Tetsurou thinks it's another day at work. Little does he know the debut of the performer Dusty Rose is the start of a new chapter not only for the club, but for him as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Illuminated by You

**Author's Note:**

> Ask me if I do this everyday, I say: "Often." - "Often (Kygo Remix)" by The Weeknd

Kuroo Tetsurou was a new bartender at the popular nightclub The Vineyard’s Best. It was a mixed club, with both female and male entertainers. The place was classy with a dark, velvet feel to it. The color scheme was dark burgundy and rich browns. When you entered the club it was like stepping into a glass of merlot. The Vineyard’s Best was an upstanding joint that was hailed as one of the highest class entertainment businesses in the district. It had even gained national recognition not only for it’s decor but also for it’s entertainers. Kuroo would be lying if he said he wasn’t intimidated to work there. Although it was great money and a use of a skill otherwise seen as a cheap party trick.

He was good at bar tending too. Kuroo was always up on the latest mixology techniques. He knew hundreds of cocktail recipes by heart and had a few special concoctions of his own.The club paid him well, not to mention the killing he made in tips every night. But his tips didn’t even come close to the money the entertainers got. Their salaries were mostly composed of the money they got from audience members. The club switched out main attractions every week so that it was fair for the entertainers. There were six or so main performers that the club employed with visiting entertainers that came for the fame of Vineyard. If you performed as a main attraction at the Vineyard, you were guaranteed a spot in any club. Managers would grovel if you had The Vineyard on your resume. 

This week The Vineyard’s Best was sponsoring a new entertainer. Their stage name was Dusty Rose and they were simply described as a “fresh experience.” The posters that had been used for publicity were a dark blue base with a picture of a silhouette on a stage. Underneath the full body silhouette were the words “Dusty Rose” and The Vineyard’s Best’s details. The club had kept an extreme air of mystery around this upcoming performer. Not even Kuroo knew much about the entertainer or their act or even the person’s gender. It had seemed to work though because most of the talk at the bar had something to do with Dusty Rose.

The night of Dusty Rose’s debut performance had The Vineyard completely packed. All private booths had been reserved. The bar was completely full and Kuroo was working overtime to keep all the glasses filled. There were still two hours before Dusty was supposed to go on stage and yet people kept squeezing in to any open space they could. The air was filled with an excited buzz, like tasting electricity on the tip of ones tongue. Kuroo was conversing momentarily with a distinguished pair of swingers that were regulars to the place. The man with a well groomed beard and pressed dress pants leaned on the bar.

“Have you heard anything about this Dusty Rose, Kuroo-kun?” He asked.

Kuroo could only shake his head, “Sorry Robert, I know as much as you lot do. I don’t even know what the kid looks like other than that skinny looking silhouette on the posters.”

The woman with Robert, Emilia, sipped at her martini, “They do look like the slim sort. Even that much is quite enticing though.”

“I bet you would bend them in all sorts of positions, wouldn’t you Em?” Robert chuckled, moving to press a kiss to her cheek. 

“Only if they asked, dear!” She giggled.  
Kuroo chuckled as well, “You two are some interesting characters.”

Emilia turned her heated gaze on Kuroo, clear green eyes giving him a slow once over. Her lips turned up in a sly grin, “Our offer is always open, Kuroo-kun. You can even wear your uniform if you’d like,” she purred.

“You would have to take it off at some point, of course,” Robert joined, “So as not to get it dirty. You understand right?”

“I’d get you to buy me a new one, right Daddy?” Kuroo said with a wink. Robert choked on the sip of his gin and tonic. He coughed a few times and Emilia laughed openly.

“Really dear,” Emilia started again, “Robert and I would only take the best care of you.”

Kuroo smiled, the delight reaching his dark eyes, “I know you would.” He reached out and patted her hand resting on the bar top, “I’ll keep it in mind.”

She returned his smile and then turned back to her husband. They leaned close to each other and started to whisper conspiratorially, predatory eyes sweeping the sitting area. Kuroo chuckled again and shook his head. He too moved back to his work as a few more patrons had come up to the bar to order drinks. 

Not long after Kuroo noticed a customer at the far edge of the bar. They were leaned up against the dark wood, elbow crooked casually. They were looking at the crowd and didn’t seem interested in the woman on the runway doing her act. Kuroo’s flicked his tongue out to moisten his lips and his throat felt suddenly dry. He moved over to the customer, taking in the dark navy button up that clung snugly to their slender frame. 

“What can I get you?” Kuroo purred. The customer turned their face to Kuroo and the man thought he would die right on the spot. The low lights behind the bar glimmered off the sleek black frames of their glasses. It was hard to tell the color in the dim lighting but Kuroo thought he saw sparks of gold and honey in the man’s eyes. A well shaped eyebrow arched at Kuroo as he was also appraised by those wondering orbs. The customer’s lips tightened in a flirtatious grin and Kuroo was consumed with thoughts of kissing the grin right off him.

Kuroo nodded towards the under-lit shelves of alcohol, “See something you like?”

“I do,” he said, voice sending shivers all through Kuroo’s body, “But it’s not the booze.”

Kuroo had to look away. He hoped he wasn’t blushing. What was going on? Usually he was such a smooth operator. There was something about this guy in front of him that made him lose his cool. It was like he was right back in high school like some blushing virgin. Kuroo tried to get his suave back. He folded his arms in front of him on the bar and leaned towards the guy who in turn moved in towards him. This was a dance going on between the two of them. A dance Kuroo was more than familiar with. 

“This your first time at the Vineyard?” Kuroo asked, looking back at the man. 

He pushed his hand up into his short blonde curls, “That obvious?”

“Mm,” Kuroo placed his chin in his palm, “Not to anyone else. But I am the bartender here so usually I see every customer at least once. And I would definitely remember you.”

“Quite the smooth talker, aren’t you?” He murmured, barely audible over the music, “Is this part of that hospitality service I’ve heard about?”

Kuroo laughed out loud, “Hardly. That’s not my department although I might be interested if it was you I got to service,” he said blatantly licking his lips.

“I may take you up on that offer,” the man rumbled. He pulled his hand up to rest his chin on his knuckles. He looked regal and cocky at the same time. “How about we start with a Leg Spreader?”

“Right away,” Kuroo replied before moving to mix the drink. He slid the hurricane glass across the counter to the awaiting hand of the man. “Don’t think I caught your name, champ.”

“Didn’t give it,” he answered simply. His fingers wrapped around the stem of the glass and brought it to his lips. Kuroo’s eyes watched the flexing muscles in the forearm left uncovered by the rolled up sleeves. For a split second his eyebrow twitched when he tasted the drink. He seemed surprised and pleased then took another longer drink. When he put the glass back on the counter, he looked back at Kuroo.

“Tsukishima Kei. Kei is fine though.”

“Kuroo Tetsurou,” He winked, “Feel free to call on me any time, Kei.”

Kei’s fingers tightened around the stem, “I definitely will Kuroo-san.” There was a tap on the bar and Kuroo turned to see a customer beckoning him over. He nodded to show he had seen their request.

“You gonna be here when I get back?” Kuroo asked casually.

“Who knows?” Kei answered with a sly grin and a drink of his cocktail. Kuroo pouted dramatically but had to tear himself away when the customer tapped on the bar again, this time a little more insistently. As Kuroo was talking to the customer who had called him away from Kei, Kei glanced down at the watch on his wrist. A flutter of nervousness bubbled in his stomach and he quickly drowned it with the rest of his drink.

Unfortunately, Kuroo was away from Kei for longer than he had wanted. He finished with closing some tabs—which was weird for how early it was in the evening. Then it seemed like everyone and their brother wanted drinks. So by the time he turned back to where he had left Kei, the blonde was nowhere in sight. The bartender sighed heavily and drug his feet when he walked to collect the now empty glass on the counter. He picked it up with less care than he should and quickly swiped the napkin off the counter. The glass clinked in the sink when Kuroo placed it in the basin. When he went to throw the napkin away, something in the center of the water ring on the paper caught his eye. Kuroo brought it up to inspect it and a huge grin split his face. 

_in case i don’t see you after_

There was a phone number hastily scrawled under the message and the kanji for “firefly” on the napkin. Kuroo realized idly that “Kei” must have been how to read the kanji. He folded the napkin and slid it into his pocket. Honestly he was over the moon about this. Kei was super fucking hot and there was something about him that made Kuroo crave more. He wanted to know more, see more, feel more of the man. Kuroo hadn’t been this excited about someone for a very long time. So with that, there was a pep in his step as he dealt with customers for the rest of the night. But there was one little oddity about the message that Kuroo had brushed aside—what had Kei meant by “after?”

Eleven o’clock rolled in silently like an April storm.The anticipation for the act made conversation polite, but interested eyes were on the stage. All lights on the main stage had been down for the last twenty minutes as the stage crew set up. Only the flickering of their small flashlights that were used so they didn’t fall off the stage could be seen. Even Kuroo found himself glancing at the stage as he cleaned and put away glasses. Then when it felt like the air would rip with the tension in the room, the emcee’s voice came over the speakers.

“Ladies, gentleman, and those who haven’t decided yet,” the drag queen opened, “Tonight we have a very special treat for you. You’ve been waiting all week and your patience is about to be rewarded. Now, please give a warm, Vineyard welcome to the sleek and sensational Dusty Rose!”

The club erupted into applause and then was plunged into darkness. Even the tea lights on the bar went off. A collective gasp came from the crowd but the mild fear was shut out when a blue light shone out from the back of the stage, illuminating a figure on the stage just like in the promotional posters. Two more lights came up from the right and left side. Shadows cut across the person’s skin as the lights all cast down to make way for smaller white lights that lined the stage. As those lights came up, Dusty Rose was finally visible to the audience. Barefoot and dressed in nothing but cut-off denim shorts, all toned muscles and long limb stood center stage in front of a tall pole. Their hands slid up the pole to create a diamond above their head, arching their back away from the pole. They had been looking downward and to the right before and slowly turned their head up to look at the audience as the music came up on the house speakers.

Kuroo about swallowed his tongue. The Dusty Rose who was slowly stalking around the pole in time to the music was Kei! His glasses had disappeared but Kuroo could still recognize his short blonde hair even from the distance. Kei stopped walking around the pole to put his back against it. He turned to look at the audience, sliding one hand down as he also lowered along the pole. Then he put his other hand above him on the pole, taking a breath and raising himself to be parallel to the stage. The audience clapped and cheered as the muscles in his back flexed in the position. He continued to raise his body to wrap his legs around the pole above him. He let go with his hands to curl upwards. He smirked at the audience as he held himself by his thighs on the pole. Again there was cheering from the audience. 

Kei grabbed the pole again, swinging his legs from above him to below him so it was as if he was lounging in midair. His legs slid down and he slowly lowered himself from the pole to the ground. He descended until he was in a complete split on the stage. Flustered shouts from a few audience members started when he got on his stomach and crawled towards them. With a grin and a wink he sat up on his knees, showing the taught muscles in his abdomen. A few slow body rolls to the music and Kuroo honestly thought he was going to die. Kei rose from his knees to his feet without using his hands and moved back to the pole. He climbed it keeping his body straight and slowly spinning around the pole as he went up. Not climbing too high, placed one foot on the pole right by his hands. Then extended his other leg back until he was doing an extended split in the air. Shouts and loud applause came after this. He brought his leg back in and spun down the pole. He didn’t stay on the ground too long though. Not a second later he was back up and contorting himself around the slim metal to spin looking like a figurine in a music box. There were more aerials that involved spinning and massive feats of strength and control that Kuroo had never imagined the human body could do. Especially not one that was Kei. The man looked so slight and slender that Kuroo would have never guessed such grace and strength hid beneath the skin.

Kei ended his routine landing on the stage from a backflip off the pole. He rose on the last hit of the song’s beat into a pose similar to the one he had started in. The lights turned off on the same cue and only Kei’s outline could was visible in an only appropriate dusky pink color. Kuroo didn’t even blink before the crowd was on their feet clapping and cheering. The pink light faded out and darkness covered the club again. That didn’t stop the audience though, their clamor continuing for a good few minutes. Some spotlights came up and Kei took this as his cue to bow. He did gracefully, arm coming across his midsection and lowering himself to the audience. This only fanned the flames and the applause that had started to die down came back with fervor. Kei rose from his bow and glanced around the audience. He waved, other hand on his cocked hip and a smirk pulling at his lips. The bastard even blew a kiss to the audience that was suspiciously aimed at the bar. Kuroo would deny the little flop his stomach did at the action. Then he turned and exited the stage by the back exit. 

The chatter in the club for the rest of the evening was all about Kei. Praises of his routine, but moreso those of his body. Kuroo was right there with them. His mind was already conjuring images of pale skin in a sheen layer of sweat shuddering beneath him. The bunch of muscles as determined fingers explored in a determined manner. Kuroo was glad he was standing behind the bar, because he would probably get fired for public indecency. More than once he had to adjust himself in his pants. It wasn’t his fault he was a healthy adult male with an avid imagination. He kept glancing around for Kei, already thinking of what kind of celebratory drink to mix him. But the blonde didn’t return to the bar. 

Kuroo was always one of the last people to leave. A few weeks ago the manager had given him the back door key. Muttering something about being too old to stay there after hours just to lock up after the man. So when Kuroo had finally finished washing, drying, and putting away the last of the glasses he was good to head home. He clocked out, donned his coat, and pushed open the heavy iron back door. It opened into a dimly lit alley way behind the club. The street had a few taxis moving slowly by, ready to pick up any late night drinkers that needed rides home. When Kuroo looked up from locking the door his eyes fell on a person leaning against the building. Even though they had only just met, Kuroo had already memorized the lines of Kei’s figure. He moved slowly down the three steps and sauntered over to Kei.

“Sorry kid, we’re closed,” Kuroo said.

Kei flicked his gaze to Kuroo, dark framed glasses once again sitting on his nose, “I wasn’t looking for any bar service.”

“Oh?” Kuroo raised a flirty eyebrow at him, “Then what kind of service were you hoping for?”

“The kind that involves me kissing that stupid smirk off your face,” Kei growled before reaching out and jerking Kuroo towards him. Their lips met in a clash of desperation and heat. Kuroo wrapped his arms around Kei’s waist, pulling their bodies together. He could feel the definition of his muscles even through their clothing and it made him groan deep in his throat. When they broke apart, they were panting and barely moved away from each other at all. Their feverish bodies still touched and each’s arousal was obvious.

“Shall I try my hand at hospitality then?” Kuroo purred, nipping playfully at Kei’s jaw.

“I hope you won’t disappoint,” Kei breathed, any bite to his voice drowned out by the moan Kuroo pulled from him by sucking a bruise onto his collarbone.

“I aim only to please.” Kuroo said before resuming to lose himself in the lines of Kei’s body.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!!! I wanted to give you guys a little something to celebrate Fever Pitch reaching 2k hits!! It happened last night so I whipped this thing up. I was inspired by the song above to write a Pole Dancer fic cuz that beat is just too sexy to be left alone. Enjoy enjoy enjoy!
> 
> In all seriousness I'm so thankful for everyone. I love writing and Fever Pitch is one of my most favorite pieces. I'm so glad that I get to share it with you all. I hope we can continue to have fun with these two (three with Daiki) dorks in the future. I look forward to it!!!!!
> 
> Sincerely and with all my love and cordiality,  
> SterlingAg


End file.
